Lauren B. The B stands for Berkovitz -- my last name. I am from the East coast originally; born in Boston, and raised in a very small town in Rhode Island. I have lived in California now for nine years. I am the Founder and CEO of Lauren B. Beauty, and VP of Philip B. Botanicals.

Do you have a favorite aspect of your job?

I LOVE what I do every day! The Beauty industry is such a cool industry to be involved in. I am excited to wake up every day and rush to work. I wake up with tons of new ideas and energy (most days) and can't wait to get in to put them into practice. I love being able to work with people, and creating remarkable products that are changing the footprint of the beauty industry. I love working with different customers and types of people all over the world: from customers, to distributors, to regulatory agencies and everyone in between. Learning about different cultures is fascinating; visiting customers in their element is also life changing. I equally love formulating products. When I get an idea I run with it, and have created some of my favorite products and colors that way with an idea and goal, and no restrictions.

What does self-care mean to you?

This sounds cliché but I feel that self-care and beauty really starts from the inside. It is not only physical to me, but more of how a person feels and treats their mind, body, and soul. It’s all encompassing. People that are beautiful on the inside and who practice self-care are more beautiful on the outside in my opinion!

Care to share your morning routine?

-I wake up around 5:00am and head to the gym for my morning workout (I currently am obsessed with Orange Theory Fitness and take their classes 3-4 times a week). I workout for 60 min.

-Come home and have a healthy breakfast, either a protein shake or poached egg and avocado.

-Shower with my favorite beauty products, embark on a very basic beauty routine, and get ready for the day.

-I am normally at the office by 8:30 - 9:00am-ish ...and ready to conquer the world hehe :)

Must-have beauty products:

ALWAYS polished nails, and manicured hands and cuticles. The perfect first impression is more than just polish, but the whole appearance of your hands and nails…hence the perfect Lauren B Manicure. Philip B is my lifesaver for everything hair, the perfect treatment shampoos & Conditioners all the way down to my styling aids. Jet Set hair spray, I can't live without. My favorite drugstore beauty buy is Neutrogena makeup remover pads and oil absorbing sheets.

One beauty item you can’t leave home without?

I can't chose only one... I can't live without my Lauren B Hand Scrub- I use it twice a day because I am legitimately addicted to it. My Nail and cuticle balm are a close second, and my Philip B. Jet Set Hair Spray.

Today's post is a guest blog by board-certified Podiatric Surgeon, Dr. Cary Gannon and founder of AILA Cosmetics. We're proud to be working with Dr. Cary and AILA, especially because AILA lacquers are physician-developed, 8-free, paraben free, gluten free, cruelty free, vegan and made right here in Nashville! Thank you, Dr. Cary for sharing what inspired you to start AILA.

“Balance, peace, and joy are the fruit of a successful life. It starts with recognizing your talents and finding ways to serve others by using them.” -Thomas Kinkade

Dr. Cary Gannon. Founder, AILA Cosmetics

I’ve never met an uphill climb I wasn’t totally attracted to, and developing AILA Cosmetics would certainly qualify as a climb. A few years ago, I found myself hit with a series of mentally and emotionally exhausting plaques: a rare cancer scare, an unhappy marriage, an all-encompassing surgical practice and my youngest daughter, Aila, suffering with a then undiagnosed disorder (Sensory Processing Disorder - SPD). All of this was happening at the same time and, outwardly, it looked like I was managing all of it well. Nothing fell through the cracks. Everyone in my personal life - and in my surgical practice - were getting equal amounts of my attention (do that math with just twenty four hours in a day!) and, even though I’d been dealing with all those major life-altering circumstances, I wasn’t showing any signs of wear and tear.

But I was worn…and torn.

I was what I now call a chronic over-functioner. An over-functioner is different than an overachiever. Let me explain.

Overachiever: a person who sets one extremely challenging goal at a time, works very hard and achieves it every time.

Over-functioner: a person who successfully manages way too many things extremely well until they mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually implode and can’t manage any of them at all.

Over-functioning always results in a sneak attack of inevitable meltdown. If not kept in check, over-functioning causes everything to crash – in dramatic fashion – like an eight-foot Jenga tower.

My inevitable meltdown came suddenly. I didn’t know it, but I was a ticking time bomb. One day, my resolve just shut down. I literally didn’t have the strength to continue one more day in my organized chaos. I had been quietly sinking in beautifully packaged quicksand and, before I knew it, I was almost completely covered. At my wits end, I called a friend and said, “I’m not okay. Please come get me.” Rather than taking me to a bar, she took me to Whole Foods, introduced me to my first wheatgrass shot and said, “This is it. You have to start taking better care of yourself…and you start right now.”

Eureka.

I know it sounds cliché, but it really was my light switch moment. I immediately became acutely aware of all things toxic: people, relationships, habits, foods and products. I did an overhaul in every area of my life and saw almost immediate relief from the toxicity the havoc that hidden stress was wreaking.

Then I hit a professional wall. I was selling a nail product through my practice, and a patient asked about the ingredients. After inquiring several times with the manufacturer, I got no answers. Since I was on a roll with eliminating everything that wasn’t making sense in my life, I took matters into my own hands professionally, too. I knew I had to make changes that would matter. They had to matter, not only for myself, but also for my patients and, ultimately, for women in general. The idea that my or anyone’s health has to be compromised for beauty is unacceptable to me. So, I decided to make my passion for healthy beauty a tangible entity that is available to everyone.

It was out of this passion that AILA Cosmetics was born.

I named the brand after Aila to honor the courage she exhibits in her journey to conquer SPD. In developing AILA Cosmetics, I found balance in my life by intentionally marrying the words health, beauty and function into a thoughtfully curated collection of products that empowers women to never settle for less than they’re worth. I’m inspired by the people (and their stories) who have made AILA Cosmetics a reality, and our AILA Gives initiative is our way of honoring the people behind those stories, and giving back to those who have selflessly given so much to us.

Today, I’m grateful for the personal and professional crossroads that led to the launch of AILA. I’ve met countless over-functioning women across multiple professions and in all walks of life who completely identify with my story. Sometimes, it’s enough just to know we’re not alone.

We have to pinch ourselves to make sure we're not dreaming - the shop is ready for you (!!) and we cannot wait for you to come in and see it! In fact, if you want to get your nails done we are ready to pamper you and give you a mani or pedi (or both) this week, right in time for the Thanksgiving holiday! You can book your appointment by clicking here.

There aren't enough words for us to express how excited we are that this has all come together, and how this shop started as an idea and has now become so beautiful and real.

Please come visit us, we will be here everyday this week (except on Thursday of course) and you are so welcome to come in.

We want your experience at Poppy & Monroe to be safe and hygienic and part of that means we have chosen to use products that are 5-Free and that do not contain any of the following harmful chemicals:

Toluene - A clear liquid, toluene is used as a solvent (think paint thinners!) and can also be found in fuel. Inhaling toluene can cause neurological harm and that's not something we want anywhere in our shop.

Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) - DBP is used to make plastics flexible and as an additive to adhesives. DBP has been banned in the EU, and permanently banned in the production of children's toys.

Formaldehyde - Found in embalming fluid, paint and paint thinners, it is also listed as a known carcinogen.

Camphor - Inhaling camphor can cause dizziness, nausea and headaches. Not only do we want you to feel safe here, we also want to take care of our nail artists who work with these lacquers and polishes all day!

You can also visit our friends at AILA Cosmetics and Treat to see what they have to say about 5-Free!